You will want to join an affiliate program that offers high quality products. You can join most affiliate programs free of charge. Here are some tips for you to think about before choosing an affiliate program.

1. Join an affiliate program that you like and have interest in. One way of knowing if it is the kind of program you should promote is if you are interested in purchasing the product yourself. If you would buy the product, chances are, there are others who are would also be interested in the product.
    
2. Look for a program that is of high quality. Try to find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.
    
3. What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.
    
4. How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.
    
5. Do not waste your time with affiliate programs that do not reward substantially for your efforts. Most affiliate programs pay 5% - 20% commission. Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business, plus it also pays you a commission on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Some two-tier programs are even pay small fees for each new affiliate you sponsor.
    
6. When does the affiliate program issue commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Many affiliate programs set a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued. Be aware of the minimum quotas that you must fulfill. Some affiliate programs impose pre-requisites before you get your commissions. Make sure you can meet the pre-requisites.
    
7. Select an affiliate program that has plenty of tools and resources that can help you grow your business in the shortest possible time. Not all affiliate programs have these capabilities. Your affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed statistics online so that you can check them anytime. Checking your individual stats is important. You need to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is when someone clicks on the banner or text links.

These are just some of the questions that need to be answered before joining an affiliate program. Answering these questions can help you select the right program for your site from among the many affiliate programs available.

© 2007 - Tips for Choosing an Affiliate Program is one of a series of articles on Internet Marketing published by Bill Rothermal.

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